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How Taylor Swift’s best friend Sabrina Carpenter became ‘bad girl of pop’ with raunchy lyrics, church rows & celeb feuds
The singer ended up in a very public storm with fellow pop star Olivia Rodrigo
SHE’S the next big name in pop - but Sabrina Carpenter isn’t following in the butter-wouldn’t-melt footsteps of her friend and mentor Taylor Swift.
The pint-sized pop princess, who is dating Saltburn heartthrob Barry Keoghan, is currently supporting Taylor on her international Eras Tour.
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And despite finding fame as a child Disney star, with a role as loyal, good-girl teen Maya Hart on Girl Meets World in 2014, she’s firmly cementing her reputation as the new ‘bad girl of pop,’ with rows with the Catholic church, feuds with fellow popstars and a sexy lingerie shoot for Kim Kardashian’s Skims.
A pop insider said, “Sabrina was always the golden girl when growing up and people still see her as this innocent little girl rather than a nearly 25-year-old woman, it’s like they don’t want her to change.
“She hates the perfect Disney image and all the connotations that come with it – just because she played a certain character back then, it does not mean that she’s anything like that in real life.
“Being a child Disney star has its pros and cons but that’s not how she wants to be known as and this role in Skims is going to change everything.
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“She’s seen it happen to former Disney stars like Miley Cyrus, Britney Spears and Selena Gomez and how they struggled to shed their image and be taken seriously as a star in their own right. And everyone loves to see a good girl turn bad and the fallout from that – it’s the ultimate form of rebellion.
“It’s the perfect recipe to make a superstar as they already have such a big fan base that is growing with them and doing something controversial will bring more fans, attention and power.
“And people like Sabrina will also feel they have more to prove and show they’re not just a pretty little actress and actually have talent and personality - and she has that in buckets.”
Barry Keoghan makes Oscars red carpet debut with new girlfriend Sabrina Carpenter
'That blonde girl that always made me doubt'
Like Disney star Britney and Christina before her, nothing cements your rise to superstardom like a good feud.
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For Sabrina, her biggest one to date came when she was ruthlessly trolled as the other woman in Olivia Rodrigo's hit single Driver’s Licence in 2021.
Eagle-eared fans were quick to note that the lyrics sounded like they could be about rumoured drama between her, Sabrina and their mutual love – High School Musical: The Musical – The Series star, Joshua Bassett.
Olivia and Joshua were supposedly an item in early 2020, but by the summer of that year, it seemed he had moved on to Sabrina when they were spotted at a Black Lives Matter protest together in Los Angeles. They were then seen together wearing matching Halloween costumes later that year.
Driver’s Licence called out a “blonde girl who always made me doubt”, and referenced how this other woman was “older than me” – which Sabrina is by three years.
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Shortly after that, Sabrina released a seeming clap back on her track Skin, in which she said, “you been tellin’ your side, so I’ll be tellin’ mine” and referenced a man being “all on my skin”.
Straight after, Sabrina began trending on Twitter, with fans saying she was “petty” for making a whole song about Olivia while Olivia had only mentioned another woman briefly.
“Sabrina really shaded her throughout the whole song while Olivia just had one tiny part. Sounds a little petty,” another wrote. “Sabrina please let her breathe you already have her man”.
Of course, others defended her, saying the real problem was “men” and saying he wasn’t “worth all this trouble”.
Despite the uproar, Sabrina and Joshua never actually confirmed they dated.
Barry's babe
It wasn't the only time Sabrina's love life has been under scrutiny.
The star was subject to criticism after she confirmed her romance with Saltburn actor Barry Keoghan – who split up with girlfriend Alyson Kierans in the summer of 2023, just a year after she gave birth to their son Brando.
Rumours started swirling in December last year that the pair were an item, after they were spotted on a romantic dinner together in Los Angeles.
Things then moved quickly. In January, Barry had confirmed his rumoured split from Alyson, before he was seen at an amusement park in LA with Sabrina, with one onlooker saying they had seen them kissing.
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They were then pictured together at the Grammys in February, and he was seen in the crowd at her gig supporting Taylor Swift in Singapore in March.
Just a week later, they were pictured running errands together after hanging out at a Vanity Fair party.
They seemed to confirm their romance when Sabrina posted a picture from her Skims campaign on Instagram, with Barry commenting a flame emoji underneath.
Many have pointed out the similarity in looks between Sabrina and Alyson, while online, commenters cruelly said Sabrina was a “nobody” and a “downgrade” despite her rising stardom.
'Jesus was a Carpenter'
And it’s not just in love and relationships that Sabrina has had controversy – she’s done what all good bad girl pop stars do and upset the Catholic church.
After five albums, she had her first mainstream success with her hit Feather in late 2023. It reached number 46 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and 32 in the UK Singles Charts.
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The video was filmed at the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Brooklyn. Wearing a skimpy mini-dress and black tights, she danced around a number of pastel-coloured coffins, representing her exes.
One even had ‘RIP B***h’ written on it. There was also a book entitled Tampons Should Be Free and a bottle of liquid marked RIP.
Despite it only being 30 seconds of the clip, church leaders were so upset, they sacked Monsignor Jamie Giantiello for his position of administrative oversight for “not following diocesan policy” because he reportedly didn’t review the script.
He was allowed to stay on as a pastor in the church, but Roman Catholic Bishop Robert Brennan performed a Mass of Repatriation, a process which cleansed the church after the “inappropriate behaviour”.
Her response? “Jesus was a carpenter.”
Controversial lyrics
At the same time, her choice of lyrics has sometimes proved controversial. “I’m not going to lie, I’ve made a lot of provocative jokes,” she has said previously.
None more so than when she was at the BBC.
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Her 2023 Radio 1 Live Lounge performance of song Nonsense had to be removed when she ad-libbed a lyric that wound up being deemed inappropriate.
“How quickly can you take your clothes off, pop quiz. I’m American, I am not British, so BBC it stands for something different,” she sang, referencing an American term for male genitalia.
While some online backed her for her joke, including fellow popstar Charlie XCX who said, “Sabrina Carpenter explaining BBC on the BBC is so funny I can’t,” others online called her out saying it was “highly inappropriate”.
The BBC eventually re-uploaded the video without the controversial line.
And back in October 2022 on her Emails I Can’t Send tour, she ad-libbed an outro to the song Nonsense, poking fun of herself – and her rumoured fallout with Olivia and ex Joshua.
“I’ve got a great personality but no t*ts. This song is not about Joshua Basset. Los Angeles your energy is big d**k.” At another gig she told fans to lip-read her next line before mouthing she wanted “d**k please”.
Sabrina Carpenter's most controversial lyrics
Sabrina is known for her naughty lyrics, here are some of her most controversial....
- 'This crowd is giving me all the endorphins
I wish someone would rearrange my organs' - 'Water ain't the only thing I swallow
I wish I could play right here tomorrow' - 'Don't take off your shirt it's gonna tempt me
Everybody here is really sexy' - 'I think your face alone could get me prego
Millie Bobby Brown you're my Eggo' - 'I've got a personality but no t*ts
This song is not about Joshua Basset
Los Angeles your energy is big d**k' - 'Make some noise if you came here commando
I'm a slut for you, you know, Orlando' - 'I just wanna ride him like a rodeo
but first, he gotta grow it like Pinocchio' - 'You should do more kissin' and less talkin'
Boys are like a buffet, I want options' - 'Boy, I hope you're bigger than the average
Do you think I'm cute or were you catfished?' - 'He said it was big, but it was mini
I like it Fast and Furious like Vin D'
Kim Kardashian's muse
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Clearly the controversy has not been without its benefits. Not only did she bag herself Barry but she’s supported best pal Taylor on her incredible, record-breaking Eras Tour, and even bagged herself the lucrative Skims campaign.
On her reason for casting her, Kim said: “Sabrina is not only a very talented musician, but she also has a fashion sense and an ‘It’ factor that really resonates with the next generation.”
Straight after she was announced, she gained 30k followers on Instagram and the picture, in a Barbie pink lingerie set and with bouncy blonde hair, garnered 3.4 million likes.
Headed for superstardom
With Kim Kardashian and Taylor Swift as pals (and fans), and Barry on her arm, it seems Sabrina can do no wrong – with Christian Guiltenane, editor of pop magazine Kings and Queens of Pop Culture seeing her as the next big thing.
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He said, “It’s been something of a breakthrough few months for Sabrina. I see her on a trajectory akin to Ariana Grande and Olivia – and it seems likely that her next album will be the one that sends her shooting into stratosphere.
“Her Skims deal will put her in front of the world, and she will make tens of millions in the coming years. I can’t to see what she does next.”